Westworld

I've never seen Westworld, but I ought to. The trailer seems like it's trying a little too hard, y'know? Either delve into the in-universe commercial that slides into the everything-goes-wrong narrative or pitch it as a movie about the same while you show all the deaths in the movie (because apparently someone thought that was worth doing).

Yeah, I'd watch Ed Harris wasting entire villages, but once Anthony Hopkins reaches up and grabs the "I wouldn't say that at all" box from The Shelf of Cliched Dialog, my interest wanes.

I Think This Is My Stop, Family Guy

So, Brian died on Family Guy a few weeks ago (don't worry; he's coming back). Long story short, Stewie destroys his time travel machine forever, consequently Brian goes outside and dies, and the family gets a new dog. And, guys, this is my stop.

As a comics fan, I recognize all of the beats. The elimination of a wacky, recent addition to the series (the time travel machine). The death of a major character in an attempt to engage the audience's concern for a character. The desperate introduction of a replacement character like so much New Coke. They just need an awkward crossover that bumps up ratings for a week while eternally hobbling them with canon, and my comics-ruin-everything Bingo card is complete.

Oh, wait.

Hurdles of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (AoS) has had three episodes. I'm liking it, even if it's the reason I'm dreading Tuesdays now. AoS has a lot of hurdles to overcome. It's the bastard  child of a popular king. It exists to make a bit more revenue and add value to the Marvel film franchise. When Thor 2 and Captain America 2 come out, you sure as heck better bet AoS is gonna spend an episode for each one reminding the audience that THIS THING MIGHT BE ADDRESSED BY THOR/CAPTAIN AMERICA IN SOME OTHER NARRATIVE. PERHAPS ONE HAPPENING AT THE NEARBY THEATER ON NOVEMBER 8/APRIL 4.

I'm cool with that, but it's a one-way street; AoS can't have Dr Doom or Power Man or Iron Man because "Fox Studios," "you never know," and "LOL, nope!" The Fury cameo from the second week was nice, but Fury, like Hill, doesn't have an arc or history; he's untethered. If AoS is going to plug into the Marve movie universe or channel the power of the Marvel Comics Universe, it'll have to receive a box of good Marvel stuff, no matter how small. That risks making AoS look tiny next to superheroes/villains but it's got upsides: 1) the point is superheroes 2) it might distract from the premise.